The TV Column

Leary's edgy Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll returns on FX

Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll returns to FX at 9 p.m. today. The series stars (from left) Robert Kelly, John Ales, Elizabeth Gillies and creator Denis Leary.
Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll returns to FX at 9 p.m. today. The series stars (from left) Robert Kelly, John Ales, Elizabeth Gillies and creator Denis Leary.

Our favorite dysfunctional rock 'n' roll band returns tonight with as many shenanigans as ever.

The second season of Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll premieres at 9 p.m. on FX. There will be 10 episodes. The half-hour comedy is rated TV-MA, as you might suspect from the title.

Wait. Isn't most everything on FX rated TV-MA? Seems like it.

This particular mature rating is mostly for sexual situations and dialogue, but it comes across as comedic rather than prurient or trashy. Still, trash is in the eye of the beholder and the series is fairly bold.

Examples: Tonight's episode deals with the sudden death of a female rocker with whom everyone in the band once had relations. Next week's episode features the bungled attempt to have a middle-age menage a trois in order to recapture the excitement of days gone by.

Other examples of outstanding current and former shows rated TV-MA on FX are The Americans, American Horror Story, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Fargo, Tyrant, The Shield, Rescue Me and The Bridge.

That is some of the best written and acted programming on television. How does a basic cable channel get away with such adult fare? The TV playing field is not level.

There are no programs on broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, etc.) with a TV-MA rating. That's because they are federally regulated and face stiff sanctions if they cross the line. TV-14 is as graphic as they get for violence, language or sexual content.

Nonetheless, a network TV-14 program can get fairly gruesome where violence is concerned. And the body count really mounts in some of the many police procedurals.

TV watchdog outfits have been pushing to have FX removed from the basic cable tier for several years, citing that the ad-sponsored channel benefits not only from commercials, but basic cable fees as well. There are plenty of cable subscribers who do not wish to support any FX programs with their cable fees.

But that's a column for another day. I have no problem with intimate scenes as long as they are not gratuitous. Violence, on the other hand, seems too often to be included simply to pander to the audience.

And that brings us back to Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll. The premise is in the title and much of the humor stems from the fact that the series stars 58-year-old Denis Leary as 51-year-old has-been egomaniacal '90s rock star Johnny Rock.

Back in the day with his band, The Heathens, Johnny was the king of hedonism. The band was on its way up the charts, but right before it hit the big time, Johnny's womanizing caused the band to implode.

Last season we caught up with Johnny when his daughter Gigi (Elizabeth Gillies), a talented and aspiring singer, showed up with enough cash to get the band back in the studio. However, she would be the lead singer and the band would be called The Assassins. Johnny would be demoted to songwriter.

In the second season, Johnny's girlfriend and the band's backup singer Ava (Elaine Hendrix) is re-evaluating her life and career in a midlife crisis. She gets support on her desire to take center stage from guitarist Flash (John Corbett), who is still dating the much younger Gigi and wondering where it will all lead.

Meanwhile, band member Sonny "Rehab" Silversteen (John Ales) sells his 29 songs about the Great Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s and there's hope of turning them into an off-Broadway hip-hop musical like Hamilton.

Finally, convivial drummer Hector "Bam Bam" Jimenez (Robert Kelly) begins to clash with Rehab over creative control.

Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll was created by Leary (who also created Rescue Me), who serves as an executive producer. It may not be for everyone, but if the TV-MA doesn't scare you off, there is plenty to laugh about here.

Greatest Hits. ABC kicks off this six-week musical summer series at 8 p.m. today. Hosted by Arsenio Hall and Kelsea Ballerini, the series features current artists and has-beens singing oldies but goodies. Tonight's retro tunes are performed by Pitbull, REO Speedwagon, Ray Parker Jr., Jason Derulo, Kenny Loggins, Kim Carnes, Rick Springfield and Kool & The Gang.

A special tribute to Michael Jackson will be performed by Derulo.

Curb returning. Finally, HBO has announced that Larry David's masterful comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm will return for a ninth season at a date to be determined. In an HBO statement, David said, "In the immortal words of Julius Caesar, 'I left, I did nothing, I returned.'"

In the series, David, co-creator of Seinfeld, plays an exaggerated version of himself. We last saw the series in 2011.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Weekend on 06/30/2016

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